ARTISTS

Of Montreal

of Montreal is many things. of Montreal is one of the stalwarts of the Athens, Georgia pop scene. of Montreal is the recording and performing project of one Mr. Kevin Barnes. And of Montreal is one of the many bands still in operation with a tie to the loose Elephant Six collective of the late '90s, a group of like-minded bands centered around that incredibly fertile Southern college town. of Montreal is not, however, predictable.

The band was created by Kevin Barnes who was the only member of the "group" prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead and Bryan Poole who also performs as The Late... More

of Montreal is many things. of Montreal is one of the stalwarts of the Athens, Georgia pop scene. of Montreal is the recording and performing project of one Mr. Kevin Barnes. And of Montreal is one of the many bands still in operation with a tie to the loose Elephant Six collective of the late '90s, a group of like-minded bands centered around that incredibly fertile Southern college town. of Montreal is not, however, predictable.

The band was created by Kevin Barnes who was the only member of the "group" prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead and Bryan Poole who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium. Together, they recorded their first album, Cherry Peel, as well as The Bird Who Ate the Rabbit's Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.

After production on The Gay Parade began in 1998, Poole left the band to focus on his duties with Elf Power, another Elephant Six band from Athens. Barnes then recruited Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had been performing together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly, to play various instruments. Derek moved from drums to bass. The band was joined soon after by Marshmallow Coast's Andy Gonzales.

Following the release of The Gay Parade, the band signed with Kindercore Records, who would release a number of singles and compilations. It wasn't until 2001 that Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse would be released as a new album with original material.

In 2002, Aldhils Arboretum was released, with a slightly different sound than its predecessors. This album marks the beginning of the change in of Montreal's sound, with more danceable rhythms than before, particularly on the album's closer, "Death Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For You".

Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and of Montreal's status was also threatened. Kevin got married, and Andy and Derek left the band. Barnes, uncomfortable with the unrest, as well as some divisions within the band, took to writing and performing their 2004 album Satanic Panic in the Attic mostly by himself. Released by Polyvinyl Records, it became one of their more successful efforts to that point. The album marked a shift to an electronic bass, with drum machines and synthesizers featured in singles such as "Disconnect the Dots". The tour for that album also saw The Late B.P. Helium (Bryan Poole) rejoin the band, with some bass played by Kevin's partner Nina.

This style would continue to evolve into 2005's The Sunlandic Twins, which was even more of a solo effort by Barnes. Recorded in Athens, with the exception of one track recorded in Norway, it was a much more pronounced electronic album.

Barnes recorded most of the band's 2007 release, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, by himself while living in Norway and Athens, Georgia. Hissing Fauna contains tremendous amounts of emotion, heartbreak, frustration and elation in its twelve tracks. Written and recorded primarily during what he calls "an insane year," Hissing Fauna saw Kevin adopt a new writing style. It was an unabashedly autobiographical attempt from a songwriter whose early material tended towards characters and story-songs. The album found its genesis in Kevin's time spent in Norway around the end of 2004, when his daughter Alabee was born. Kevin and his wife Nina had no health insurance and had decided to relocate temporarily to Nina's hometown of Oslo to take advantage of the health benefits the Norwegian government offers artists.

of Montreal's latest album, Skeletal Lamping, was released on October 21, 2008. It was released in ten different formats, including conventional CD and vinyl, as well as t-shirts, button sets, wall decals, tote bags, and a paper lantern, the latter formats replete with a digital download code for the album. All items for the collection were designed by The Bee With Wheels (David Barnes) and Gemini Tactics (Nina Barnes). In an essay addressing the concept behind the album's release, Kevin Barnes stated, "We feel that there's no reason to produce another object that just sits on a shelf. We only want to produce objects that have a function and that can be treasured for their singularness."

Currently, of Montreal is working on its next album, tentatively titled False Priest.